Press Start to Play: A Super Mario Bros & Wreck-It Ralph Crossover
by 1upDawg
Summary: Meet the heroes of our story: The heroic, mushroom-munching Super Mario, and the 643-pound, big-fisted "Bad Guy", Wreck-it Ralph. When an evil force threatens their world, the unlikely duo must put their differences aside and work together to restore balance to the arcade. (UPDATE: Chapter 18 has been posted!)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was 7:52 A.M. Day had just begun to break within the realm of _Fix-it Felix Jr._- not that anyone else would know it, as the background of the poorly rendered 1982 arcade classic remained forever black. Anyone outside of the game's world would simply have to imagine it to be true. Indeed, much of what occurred within was left to the imagination of outsiders. But few could truly imagine what really occurred when the game was over. Who would possibly think that the denizens of Niceland, whose homes were constantly being destroyed, could lead normal lives after hours?

Such, however, was the case, and this particular morning was no different. A cool breeze tickled the trees of Niceland forest. Flocks of birds flew about the dark sky. A pair of them, a couple, broke from their formation, perched on a windowsill atop the Niceland apartment building, and broke into song, much to the delight of the occupant of the room, a blue-clad hero who was just sitting down to his morning quiche.

A knock from within interrupted his breakfast. "Felix!" came the voice of his next-door neighbor, Mary. "Are you getting ready? The arcade opens in five minutes!"

Felix glanced at his wristwatch. Indeed, it was 7:55. "Jiminy jaminy!" he exclaimed. "Wait for me! I'll be down in a few!"

He finished the remainder of his quiche, and went to wash the plate in his outstretched hands. Passing by the singing birds, he became rapt in their song, and began to twirl around, whistling to himself- and in so doing, he lost his grip on the plate, which cracked in two on the kitchen floor.

"Oh dear," he sighed. "Good thing I'm just the man to fix things." With that, he whipped out a small, golden hammer, and gave the broken plate a casual tap. It mended itself instantly.

Felix picked up the newly repaired plate and began to wash it in the kitchen sink. There was a subtle thud against his wall, and the singing of the birds ceased. However, this was unnoticed by Felix, who had finished with the dishes and was admiring his collection of golden medals, which hung from his living room wall. Not until a second, much louder thud was heard and a booming voice exclaimed "Hey, Felix!" did he turn around. The towering figure of his frenemy, Wreck-it Ralph, was standing outside Felix's window.

"Mornin', Ralph," answered Felix. "What can I do you for?"

"Just checkin' to see if you were getting ready," said Ralph. "They'll have the arcade up and running in three minutes, you know."

"Well, I'm on my way down right now," said Felix. "Ready to punch that clock?"

"Oh sure," said Ralph. "But… just so you know, after work I'm going over to _Sugar Rush_. Y'know, just to give good 'ol 'Nelly a hand for the daily roster race. You can come with, if you want."

"Sure Ralph, that sounds swell! I'd love to."

"Great! Well… meet you downstairs then."

A moment later, Felix grabbed his trusty hammer, and set off for work. It was going to be another long day in the arcade.

…

Nintendo always knew how to create a good game. After all, they'd been doing it for over 30 years, since their first hit, _Donkey Kong_, became a staple in arcades. And in that time, they established principles of game design that continue to ring true even today. A good game, by these principles, is like an iceberg- what you see on the screen is but the tip. As for the rest, it is up to the player to discover it.

But technology was limited in the early 1980's. There were no side-scrollers, no role-players, no puzzlers. Much of what was left to be discovered within these worlds could only be imagined- and that's just the way Nintendo had intended it to be when they themselves created it. Only the most imaginative players could reap the benefits of poking into every game's nooks and crannies.

For instance, take the 1983 classic _Mario Bros._, which sat just across the way from _Fix-it Felix Jr._ inside the arcade. All that the casual observer sees is an underground chasm, with pipes from which the monstrous, turtle-like Koopas appear.

It takes imagination to see the rest of the game's little universe. Almost anyone can see it now, of course, as Nintendo revealed much of it in future games. However, who in 1983 could have guessed what lay above that dimly lit cavern? Who might have conceived a beautiful castle, surrounded by a quaint village? An entire other world to discover? No one could truly see it- all they ever saw was the world below. But the rest of the world, unbeknownst to players, was quite plainly there- even after the game was over.

And on this day, the citizens of this world were abuzz with delight. After all, this was no ordinary day in the realm of the Mushroom Kingdom. Today was the 30th anniversary of the defeat of the evil Koopa Troop at the hands (or rather feet) of its legendary protagonist. To celebrate, a large party was thrown in his honor. The citizens of Toad Town were feasting, music was playing, and fireworks could be seen from all corners of the kingdom as they exploded high above the Mushroom Castle. And yet… a rather important part of the celebration was missing.

"Oh, where is he?" inquired the fair Princess Peach. She was no stranger to the "he" in question- "He" had saved her in countless times of peril. And on this day, this anniversary of their first great adventure- "He" had chosen this day to go missing.

"Don't worry, Princess," a Toad guard reassured her. "He'll be here! He's probably on his way back from his latest defeat of that nasty King Bowser."

"Heh… wouldn't surprise me if he took the wrong pipe again," a second guard snickered.

…

It wasn't a particularly eventful day for the inhabitants of _Fix-it Felix Jr._ By the end of the day, only a total of two quarters had been spent on the game, and the latter of them had clearly belonged to a novice player. Ralph had defeated Felix with relative ease.

As the Nicelanders retired to their apartments for the night, Felix and Ralph sought out Mayor Gene to inform him of their departure to _Sugar Rush_.

"We're just going to see the roster race," explained Ralph. "We'll be back."

"Is that so? Well…" Even after all he'd been through, Ralph had not fully won Gene's confidence. "…You two take care of yourselves, then."

With that, Ralph and Felix hopped aboard the next train leaving _Fix-it Felix Jr_. Within moments, they were off for Game Central Station.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The duo wasn't native to the saccharine world of _Sugar Rush_- that was easy enough to see. Yet the bright, cartoonish colors of this candy-coated world were so similar to those of their homeland, one could easily forgive them for being lost. Wandering amidst colossal structures of cookies and cakes, the pair of travellers walked until they finally came to their first sign of civilization in this world- a road.

The shorter of the two, a humanoid mushroom, had the wherewithal to stop at the edge of the road. His companion, a paunchy, ruddy-faced, mustachioed young man in a red cap, kept walking into the road, his large nose pressed into the map he was reading. He appeared not to have taken notice of the road, as he continued fruitlessly searching for his current location on the map.

"This isn't World 2…" he muttered after a long pause. "Toad! You've-a gone and gotten us lost again!" he called out, in a rich Italian falsetto.

"What do you mean 'lost'? _You're _the one standing in the middle of the road," snapped Toad in his high-pitched, albeit irritable, voice. "Besides, I know exactly where we are."

"Well, wherever we are, it's not-a World 2!" answered the young man. "World 2 is a desert world in every game! We must've taken the wrong pipe again coming back-a from Koopa Castle! Everyone's probably worried sick-a, we told them we'd-a be meeting up with them in World 2…"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mario, because that's where we are," retorted Toad. "World 2- the Layer-Cake Desert."

"That's-a the worst pun I've ever heard, Toad. You're not being funny…"

Mario broke off. His argument was interrupted by the sound of an approaching engine. He turned and spotted a car travelling down the road at high speed- headed right for him.

"Aiyeee!" The car would have hit him if it weren't for his lightning-quick reflexes. With gravity-defying power, he leapt easily four feet over the passing car. Only then did its driver, a dark-haired young girl in an aqua-green sweatshirt, take notice of him. Within moments, the car had come to a grinding halt further along the side of the road.

"Maybe they can give us directions," murmured Mario, and he immediately took off running toward the girl in green.

"Um, are you forgetting that they _very_ _nearly killed you_?!" Toad yelled in Mario's direction. After a while, he heaved a sigh of impatience, and sped off to find Mario. "Hey, wait for me!" He should have known by now, of course. Trying to talk Mario out of things was pointless. After all, when you're the greatest hero the Mushroom Kingdom has ever known, you can't help but do whatever you know in your heart is right.

…

It didn't take long for Toad to catch up to Mario, who was now peering inside the parked car. The look on Mario's face was one of astonishment.

Toad looked puzzled. "What'd I miss?"

"The car!" exclaimed Mario. "There's no one in it!"

"What?! Someone was driving it just a second ago!"

Toad continued searching the car, while Mario sat on the side of the road, and resumed glancing at his map. A sudden feminine voice from behind made him jump.

"You all right, mister? Didn't see you there. Lucky you're good at jumping."

Mario whipped around. Dangling from the branches of a nearby candy tree was the girl in green who had nearly run him over.

"Mama Mia… you scared me!" gasped Mario. "Oh well, at least now we have-a someone to give us directions. Can you tell me what World this is?"

"Huh? What world?" she repeated. "Oh, I get it… you're not from here, huh?"

"Not-a from here…?" Mario repeated. "…Then where exactly _is_ here?"

With graceful technique, the girl executed a backflip off of her branch, and landed on the ground in front of Mario.

"Gee, if I'd known we had visitors, I'd have gotten a welcome party ready. Either way, welcome to _Sugar Rush_! Sweetest game in the arcade! Feel free to explore- just don't eat the trees, please. By the way, I'm Vanellope Von Schweetz, Princess-slash-President."

Mario's realization of his location was quickly put aside for the realization that a royal stood before him. "Oh my… Princess!" Awkwardly, he stumbled forward, attempting to kneel, but instead falling flat on his face. Thankfully, the ground here was soft.

Vanellope helped him to his feet. "Call me Vanellope. Just don't call me 'Nelly. Only Ralph calls me that. Anyway, you got a name, chumbo?"

Mario spun around and executed his signature hat flip. "It's-a me, Mario!"

Vanellope's eyes widened. "Whoa! You're THE Mario? The one everyone in the arcade talks about? _That _Mario?! Ohmygosh! You're a long way from home, aren't you?"

Mario's heart sank. "Yep. And now we're lost. Everyone'll be looking for us…"

"Hey, cheer up bucko, it's not the end of the…" Vanellope became distracted by a glimmer of gold protruding from Mario's pocket. "What's this?" Without warning, she snatched the contents from him. It was a large medallion emblazoned with a star. "Wow," she murmured. "It's so shiny…"

"Give that back-a!" yelped Mario, snatching at her. "It's a Star Coin! And it's-a my brother Luigi's! He'll kill me if I lose it!"

"Well, guess what, Buckwheat? Now it's MY Star Coin!"

Mario advanced towards her again, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished.

"What-a was that? Am I seeing things?" For a moment, Mario stood rubbing his eyes, making sure he had seen what he had seen, when a tap on the shoulder startled him. Vanellope's voice came from behind him. "You're it!"

Mario whipped around again. Vanellope had reappeared behind him, holding his Star Coin behind her back. "How'd-a you do that?" Mario blurted in amazement.

Vanellope shrugged. "Long story. I used to be a glitch in this game. You could say that my glitch got patched… mostly, anyway."

"Terrific," said Mario, annoyed. "Now give me my coin back!"

Mario snatched at her once more, but Vanellope glitched out of his reach. "We could keep doing this all day," she smirked. "Look pal, give it up. This coin's mine now. Y'want it back, then you'll have to race me for it!"

"You sure?" asked Mario. "You're-a looking at the best-a racer in _Mario Kart_!"

"Fine, then… I challenge you to a _Mario Kart_ race! Everyone seems to think _Sugar Rush_ is based off that game, anyway. How hard could it be?"

Mario beamed. "You're on! Let's-a go!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Mario couldn't help but wonder how he had ended up here, even after he had accepted it. After all, only moments ago he was home in the Mushroom Kingdom. He had taken a pipe that, according to Toad, would have sent him to World 2 to rendezvous with his friends. Foolish, he thought, that he could have trusted Toad with directions. Toad, after all, had actually got it into his polka-dotted head that this _was _World 2. No, instead he had found himself in a candy-coated wasteland, whose leader had mugged him moments before challenging him to a race. To her credit, she had the decency to provide him with a kart. (Even the karts, he noted, were constructed of candy.) And she had agreed to let him set the terms for the race… Mario shrugged it off for now. "This might not be so bad after all," he thought to himself. After all, they were going to play it _his _way.

…

Vanellope couldn't forgive herself for getting herself stuck in such a situation. Sure, that coin of Mario's was so shiny… but now, now that the pressure was on, she almost wanted to throw it back into his mustachioed face. It was too late now, however. Now that she was racing under a completely different set of rules and against the best character from another racing game. But she couldn't back down. Not this time. Her pride was infinitely more valuable than that crummy Star Coin.

…

One would think that whenever the president of a game challenges an outsider to a kart race, the result would be a grand affair. Such, however, was not the case. The only audience to speak of was Toad (who reluctantly watched, wishing he could participate as well) and a handful of assorted citizens of _Sugar Rush _who came to witness the foreign wonders of _Mario Kart_.

It wasn't that different, Vanellope was reassuring herself. There were still item boxes and power-ups. There were still the same turbo and drifting mechanics. Really, how bad could this be? Yet now, at the starting line, she continued to find herself wallowing in her own doubts.

Mario, for his part, was feeling right at home. After all, he was racing a 9-year old in a familiar kart race. He chuckled to himself. "This might actually be fun," he thought. "Just can't get too carried away here, though. Gotta get that coin back and head home."

A race fanfare derailed Mario's train of thought. Frantically, he tried to get his head back in the game. The race was starting.

Despite officially being a _Mario Kart_ race, a floating marshmallow was taking the place of Lakitu as the referee. And, as usual, it was carrying a stoplight for the countdown.

3. "It won't be so bad. It won't be so bad…"

2. "Just gotta get Luigi's coin back so I can get home…"

1. Vanellope was startled by a noise coming from her rival's kart. Mario had already begun to rev up his engine. She frowned. _Why was he doing that?_

"GO!"

On the word "go", Mario's kart rocketed forward like a bullet. The race had only just begun, and he was already leading her by a wide margin.

Vanellope gasped. Mario had pulled off a rocket start! How did he do that?! The only other person she had ever seen doing that was King Candy, former ruler of _Sugar Rush_. And hadn't he turned out to be from a different game too?! "C'mon, c'mon, I'm losing here!" She slammed both feet on the accelerator.

It was several turns and bends before Mario came into sight again. And he wasn't alone. The first row of item boxes was coming up.

Mario drove through the box in the dead center, which produced a banana peel. Nonchalantly he tossed it behind him. After all, you could only ask for so much when you were this far in the lead.

Dodging the banana, Vanellope passed through another box, which gave her… huh? A turtle shell?_ They used some pretty bizarre weapons in this game_, she thought. Curiously, she threw it in front of her.

Instantly, the shell emitted a beeping noise, and took off at high speed in Mario's direction. "Oh, I see," she said to herself, "it works just like a Sweet Seeker!" Mario spotted the flash of red only too late, right before it hit him.

"Yes!" yelped Vanellope as Mario's kart flipped over. Mario continued accelerating, but it wasn't much help. He had lost a lot of ground from that Red Shell.

Further up the road, he spotted the one chance to make up ground- a trick ramp. He immediately sped off in its direction.

But Vanellope was close behind. She was following Mario to the ramp, trying to weigh her options. Mario was going too fast to be able to pass him, and since he was much heavier than she was, getting into a shoving game would surely result in her getting pushed off the track.

She continued to inch behind Mario- and was too distracted by her thoughts to notice the streaks of blue her kart was emitting. Mario had noticed, however, and frantically tried to drive out of Vanellope's way, but too late. Without warning, her kart lurched forward at high speed- right off the trick ramp. "Woohoo!"

Mario ground his teeth- suddenly _he _was the one losing. To think he- _he_, of all people!- he had let her get away with drafting from behind him! He drove over the ramp, executed a trick, and took off in pursuit of her.

As she passed through the final row of item boxes, Vanellope was feeling pretty confident about the race, now that she was well in the lead. How bad could it have been, anyway? No way could Mario make up this much ground by now. An item would make sure of that, she assured herself.

And she was right- as she passed through an item box, she was given a Mushroom. The resulting boost solidified her lead. What could go wrong now?

Vanellope wheeled around. Mario had just passed through the same row of boxes. If an item was going to save him, she thought, it would have to be a powerful one.

But as she approached the final bend, an odd noise startled her. It was faint at first, but gradually it became apparent. And it seemed to be coming from above her…

Vanellope looked up. Another turtle shell, much like the one she had used earlier, was hovering high above her kart. This was no ordinary shell, however- this one was blue, sported a pair of wings, and was covered in pointy spines that ran down its carapace. For a moment, the shell hovered above her, froze, and without warning, converged.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ralph and Felix, to say the least, were not at all pleased with the state of Game Central's upkeep of the transport system to _Sugar Rush_. The game, as it happened, was fully functional, but the candy train that took other characters there was not.

"A while back, we had this big, round yellow guy with a big mouth who got the bright idea of munching on the licorice lap restraints," the Surge Protector explained to them. "We'll have regular transport to this place back up as soon as we can. For now, though, no access through here."

Ralph hadn't felt this dejected since before he had saved the arcade from near destruction. "That's just great. Now I'm gonna miss the roster race," he moaned. "'Nelly's gonna be so disappointed…"

"Aw, cheer up Ralph," said Felix. "I'm sure Vanellope's gonna do just dandy! For now, though, you look like you could use a pick-up. Why don't we go over to Tapper's for Float Night? My treat!"

Decidedly unhappy, but with nothing better to do, Ralph followed Felix into the entrance to Tapper's.

…

"Sweet mother of monk-!"

Vanellope's kart had flipped over from the resulting explosion. Thankfully, she had been flung out shortly before the kart toppled over. Her gratitude for being alive was forgotten at the sight of Mario, who swept past her. "Hey!" she called out, but to no avail. She turned and looked first at the sight of her wrecked kart, then at Mario, now a red speck on the horizon, as he sped out of sight.

This couldn't be happening. Vanellope was about to lose the race! And she was supposed to be the best character in her own game. It just wasn't fair!

"Well, now that I guess winning's outta the picture, better take a damage assessment," she grumbled to herself. The kart's body hadn't cracked, but was dented in several places. That was easily fixed. One of the cookie wheels, however, had become detached from it.

Vanellope scurried off of the road, and sped off in the direction of the wheel. She found it laying on the edge of a cliff top beneath a candy tree, albeit in pieces.

She collapsed into a heap on the ground and sniffled. _That horrible Mario!_ she thought to herself. Everyone on the outside always talked about his heroism and greatness, about all the wondrous adventures he'd been through. And now that she finally had the chance to meet him, he'd not only ousted her from the roster race, he'd wrecked her kart!

She could feel the tears coming. "Some hero he is," she moaned, and buried her face in her hands, sobbing. Everything she thought she knew about him was wrong.

For the longest time Vanellope sat in solitude. After what had happened to her, she didn't dare head back to the starting area. No one could see her like this. It was better for her to remain alone as she was for now.

However, a sudden snapping of branches that broke the silence informed her she was not quite alone. The sound had come from below the cliff top. She peered down.

Deep in the valley below lay the smoldering remains of a downed hovercraft of some sort. Nearby the wrecked craft, a large, robed figure stood pacing. The figure, from the looks of things, could only have been the former occupant of the craft.

Vanellope became lost in thought again. This thing, whatever it was, was clearly not native to _Sugar Rush_ either. What was it, and how did it crash-land here? Could it be a bad guy? It certainly bore an appearance to one. But her friend Ralph was supposedly a bad guy, and he had turned out to be a hero, hadn't he? Why should this guy be any different? At any rate, she finally decided, he seemed to be in need of help, and helping him seemed to be the right thing to do. And if anything, he was her best hope of acquiring a replacement tire for the kart.

Carefully, Vanellope sidled her way down the cliffside, and took off for the mystery traveller, who was still pacing with his back to her. "Hey mister," she called out. "You all right there? Happen to have any spare tires?"

At her voice, the thing wheeled around. Vanellope noticed the thing's face, which was obscured by a hood. She could only see his eyes, which emitted a reddish glow. The thing sported a pair of horns that poked out from the hood, giving him a somewhat demonic appearance.

"Whaddya doing here, shrimp?" he spoke in a gruff voice. "Can't you see I've got enough trouble with getting myself outta this dump? And all because of that wretched Mario! I'll never get this airship working again!" And with that, he began to beat the wrecked airship in rage.

And suddenly it became apparent that they were both in the same boat. "Oh… So you don't like Mario either," Vanellope said to the thing's back. "Well- I guess that makes two of us then."

On that note, the traveller ceased beating on the airship and turned to face her. She couldn't see his cloaked face, but his mannerisms suggested half-interest. "So… Mario's your enemy too!" he growled jovially. "You look too young to have any enemies, kid!"

"It's a long story…" Vanellope started, but the traveller continued. "I never knew that even the great racer Vanellope Von Schweetz could be deserving of such a worthy adversary! Well, welcome to the club, Princess."

Vanellope gasped. Whoever, or whatever this thing was, it _knew _her. "You know my name?" she asked. "But how?"

The thing chuckled. "You're famous, kid. Who _doesn't _know you?"

"Hmmm…" she wondered aloud. "Look, mister… you got a name?"

The figure pointed to himself. "_My _name?" he stammered. "It's B- er, it's not all that important. Not very memorable, you see. You could say I'm kind of a mistake within my home world… rather like yourself."

Vanellope took on a little-kid-in-a-candy-store grin. This traveller, whoever he was, had indeed done his homework.

"Listen, erm… Spikehead? Can I call you that? Look… we both don't like Mario, right? Let's make a deal. You help fix my kart, _and _beat Mario in the roster race, and I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you. Sounds like a deal, or what?"

"Let's see… we get to crush Mario… and I get something out of it?" Spikehead cackled again. "Sounds like my kind of deal, Princess!"

"Let's shake on it, then."

Their hands met, and Spikehead emitted a mighty, maniacal laugh.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

All was not well within the world of _Mario Bros. _The Toads' initial shock at the absence of Mario had been temporarily subdued by the first wave of feasting and music, but by the fourth many of the partygoers had begun to get antsy. Mario had to be somewhere in the Kingdom- surely he wouldn't abandon the game on the day of its anniversary. Nevertheless, his absence was startling, and it had only just begun to settle in on the citizens of Mushroom Kingdom.

"There's no way Mario could have taken _this _long to get here!" informed one of Peach's Toad guards. "He would have to have taken a wrong pipe in the Koopa Kingdom! It's the only way!"

His companion elbowed him in the side. "Told you."

The first guard frowned at his partner. "I should report as well, Princess, that we've received word from the Koopa Kingdom that evil King Bowser is reported missing as well! At least that's good news, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, but in case you haven't noticed," retorted the second guard, "Mario's the one everybody's celebrating today, and he's not here."

The princess did not answer. It was all she could do to conceal her tears. From her chamber she could see the many partygoers down below who went about the hall, happy, oblivious. And here she was without anyone with whom to celebrate.

"It matters not," she whispered at last, almost to herself. "Mario will come. I have faith in him."

…

_Mario Kart _was a foreign concept indeed to the denizens of _Sugar Rush_. After winning the race by a wide margin, Mario quickly became the talk of the Kingdom, and all the locals- including the game's racers- came to get a glimpse of him. For his part, Mario was invited to participate in the daily roster race.

This time, the crowd was much larger than ever before, as everyone in the game wanted to the see the mustachioed marvel in action. Their first glimpse of him was met with huge applause, partially as the game's other racers were carrying him on their shoulders. Even after he had hopped into his kart, they continued to surround him, and swamped him with innumerable questions.

"Mario! Can I get your autograph?"

"Teach me how to do a rocket start, Mario!"

"Hey Mario, I love your mustache!"

"Please-a, please-a!" Mario practically had to shout over the requests of his devotees. "I'll be-a taking questions after the race-a!"

One of the racers, who sported a lit candle atop her head, seemed particularly fond of him. "Good luck Mario," she called out to him from the starting line.

"Thank you so nice," Mario said vaguely, but he wasn't really listening. Something kept troubling him. That kid whom he challenged to a race for his coin hadn't returned. What had happened to her? He hoped she was okay… and more importantly, where was Luigi's coin?! Suddenly he remembered. "The anniversary party! IT'S-A TODAY! Mama spaghetti, I need to find-a that coin and get-a going!"

Mario had already started off, but he didn't get far. Quite unexpectedly, he found himself face-to-face with the green-haired girl that had wished him luck.

"Where do you think you're going, Mario?" she inquired in a slightly seductive voice. "You wouldn't leave now, would ya?"

"Well… eh…" Mario began, but the race fanfare cut him off. He was left with no choice but to partake in one last race for the day. Glumly he returned to the starting line, with Candlehead (Mario quickly learned that that really _was _her name) trotting at his side.

The race turned out to be less eventful than the citizens of the game's world had expected. Only Mario nailed the rocket start, of course, but even after the start did the game's other racers encounter several stumbling blocks. The items were completely foreign to them, and as a result the majority of them incurred wipeouts.

Though Mario was well ahead of her, Candlehead, who held second place, seemed to be making a heroic effort to gain ground on him. Just as she was about to execute a turbo boost, however, her kart was knocked aside.

"What th-!"

A much larger kart- one constructed out of chocolate fudge and charred planks- had entered the fray, and its drivers were closing the gap between themselves and Mario's kart.

"Okay, Spikehead, let him have it!" Vanellope yelped with delight.

Spikehead slammed a button on the dashboard, and a large bomb was ejected from the underbelly of the kart. It squarely hit Mario's kart, flipping him over.

"Yes!" Vanellope exclaimed, as she and Spikehead began to pass Mario around the final bend- just as Spikehead punched another button. This one, however, had no effect, other than enclosing the top of the kart inside of a giant glass dome.

From her spot in the backseat, Vanellope got a perfect view of Mario's face. She blew him a big, wet raspberry, and Mario's already dejected-looking face became one of utter irritation. Then Mario's eyes landed on Spikehead, and suddenly they widened. Frantically, looking horrified, Mario began shouting something and waving his arms.

"How you like me now, you crummy-" Vanellope started, but it wasn't any use. If she couldn't hear him through the glass, there was no way he could hear her. "Hey Spikehead!" she called. "Take this dome down! I wanna taunt Mario!"

"Don't think so, Princess," said Spikehead, somewhat menacingly, as he slammed the accelerator. The pair of them passed over the finish line- and then kept going.

"Um, y'know, the trophy was back there and all, you can't keep going like this-"

"Oh, I think we can, kid," growled Spikehead, sounding truly irritated now.

"Is Spikehead in there? I'd like to speak to him, please…"

"SHUT UP!" roared Spikehead, in a voice that no longer sounded faintly human. On that command, he deliberately drove off the road and took off at high speed.

"Spikehead! What are you doing?!" Vanellope shrieked.

Spikehead wheeled around- and in so doing, his hood came off. For the first time, she could see his face- or rather its face, for the creature was quite plainly inhuman. It had a long mane of red hair, scaly green skin, and two rows of razor-sharp teeth that it now bared at her in an insane smile. And with that smile, everything clicked into place. Vanellope was now fully aware of the position she was in. She had stepped in a trap.

"You can call me 'Spikehead' all you want, you little brat," he spat at her. "After all, you'll be seeing a lot of me from here on out. But if you must know, I actually DO have a name- and it's Bowser, King of the Koopas."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

How Bowser had even found his way into this place was the very least of Mario's concerns as his wrecked kart crossed the finish line. He had tried to warn Vanellope, but she couldn't hear him- and now it was too late. Now she had been kidnapped by Bowser, who was surely plotting some scheme to take over the world of _Sugar Rush_. And it was entirely his fault. He shouldn't have treated her so rashly, should have protected her. Now she was gone, and the rest of this game was going down with her. There was only one thing to do- find her before Bowser could complete his schemes, whatever they were.

"He had to have gone-a this way!" shouted Mario, and he took off at high speed down the racetrack.

"Mario! Wait for me!" shouted Toad, running after Mario as fast as his stubby legs would carry him.

"Hey! Where are you going? You won the race!" Candlehead called out to him, waving his trophy in her hands, but Mario and Toad were already out of sight.

"Mario...?" she asked. "Oh well, I could use a nice, shiny trophy…"

…

Sitting in the throne room of his newly acquired Candy Castle, Bowser was feeling particularly bitter, and he couldn't for the life of him understand why. His master plan, after all, had gone off to a surprisingly good start. He had rigged the pipes within the Koopa Kingdom to send Mario here, before he himself showed up to have him captured. If only it weren't for that crash landing… but hadn't it turned out to be a good omen after all? _Hadn't it?_ It was because of it, he supposed, that he found the one he'd been searching for as quickly as he had, buttered her up with ease, and then stolen her. All he needed to do now was find Mario, and everything would be moving in accordance with the plan.

And yet something didn't feel quite right. Maybe, he supposed, it was the uncannily jovial atmosphere of this saccharine world. Maybe it was the lack of minions, other than the usual Kamek and that ignoramus Boom Boom, to help secure his newfound rule. Maybe it was the infuriating, ceaseless screams of his prisoner coming from behind him. Or perhaps, he thought, it was a combination of all three. And if such was the case, why not eradicate all three problems at once?

"Quiet back there!" he barked at the prisoner, as she continued to wail from within the bars of her glitch-proof cage.

"Lemme go!" Vanellope shrieked. "Get me outta here!"

"You're not going anywhere, Princess," roared Bowser, "so you better get used to the idea!" Bowser slammed his huge fist on a button on the throne, and activated the castle's PA system. "Kamek!" he bellowed.

A moment later, Bowser's diminutive magician-for-hire arrived on his broomstick. "Yes, Boss!"

Bowser ignored his affirmation. "I can't stand this place," he sneered. "It needs more of my image, if you get my drift. Take your broom, haul your bad self outside and go make this place MINE!"

"You got it, Boss!" said Kamek, mounting his broomstick and taking off through the nearest open window.

Bowser grimaced. "Will those idiot minions ever learn not to call me 'Boss'?" For a moment, he stood frozen, gazing out at the world that was to be his. Then, once more, he turned to his helpless prisoner.

"You really should have trusted Mario, Princess. He's the only one who's quite as powerful as you are. And he's the only one who can save you now!"

"That's not true," she spat at him. "Ralph will come to save me!"

"Ralph? You don't mean… Wreck-it Ralph?!" Bowser chuckled, reminiscing on one of his fellow "bad guys". "That imbecile who got tired of wrecking his own world, and decided to very nearly wreck the _entire arcade _for a change? Well, I hate to burst your bubble, Princess, but I think you'll find we are quite well protected from him. Or, at least, we will be, once I have secured this castle."

"This is MY castle!" Vanellope bawled. "You can't have it!"

"Is that so?" mocked Bowser. "Well guess what, kid? Now it's _MY _castle!"

Bowser threw his scaly head back and let out a monstrous laugh, as his new abode was slowly being transformed in his image.

…

Mario had given up pursuing Bowser only a long time after he had lost a trace of their path. Even if he could spot them, no way could he catch them on foot. It was over. He had failed; Bowser had won. Dejected, Mario had begun to retrace his steps back to the finish line, when Toad hit him head-on in a panic. "Something's happening to the Castle on the hill!" he shrieked.

"Wha-?" began Mario, but Toad was dragging him up one of the candy trees. "See for yourself! See for yourself! Look! Look!"

Mario did so, and to his horror, Toad was right. The former abode of Vanellope Von Schweetz had become enshrouded in a tornado.

"Well, at least-a we know where Bowser is…" Mario broke off. Something high above the tornado had caught his eye: Kamek was charging a powerful spell.

"Not-a good!" murmured Mario. "We gotta move!"

Mario and Toad took off running- just as Kamek unleashed a powerful surge of magic. Like a tidal wave, the magic spread all across the game, bathing everything in Bowser's malicious image. Frantically, the two of them ran with no destination other than anywhere not bathed in black magic. Suddenly, Mario spotted a tunnel high atop Waffle Cone Mountain. It was the portal to Game Central Station.

By the time the duo reached the portal, the entirety of the game below was enshrouded in thick, dark fog. Mario knew it was only a matter of time before the whole game would get encased in black magic. Unfortunately, technical difficulties had tampered with their escape routes. "The train!" he yelped. "It's-a broken!"

"Whatdowedo! Whatdowedo!" Toad was running in circles.

In his time, Mario had thrown a lot of parties, and as such he always had a supply of game-changing items on hand. He whipped out a Blast Cannon, knowing full well that only one of them could use it. Someone would be sacrificing himself.

"Toad! Get to Game-a Central, and find-a Fix-it Felix! He's the only one who can stop-a this now!" Mario ordered. Toad obeyed without hesitation. He jumped in, blasted off for Game Central, and could only watch as Mario was swallowed up by the blackness.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Not even Tapper's Float Night festival had succeeded in cheering up Ralph, who returned to his abode with a crestfallen heart. Rather annoyingly, Felix appeared to be having the time of his life as they reentered _Fix-it Felix Jr_.

"There's a luau in the penthouse tonight," offered Felix. "You coming?"

Ralph made his best effort to conceal his disappointment. "Nah, I think I'll turn in early tonight. See ya, Felix."

Evidently, Felix could see through his false expression of contentment. "Hang in there, Ralph," he said with concern, before leaving to join the other Nicelanders.

"Felix just doesn't understand," thought Ralph as he made his way for East Niceland. "Even out of everyone around here, Vanellope's the only one I can connect to. And now, even she's gone." He felt isolated, alone. "I have a nagging feeling she might've gotten herself into trouble again. I hope she's okay…"

Ralph's worst fears were about to be realized, as the next thing he knew, a panicking Toad had scurried up to the entrance of Niceland.

"Help! Help! Mario told me to find Fix-it Felix! It's an emergency!"

The door flung open, and a confused Felix sauntered outside to confront Toad.

"I'm Fix-it Felix Jr., sir; how can I help y-"

"Felix!" exclaimed Toad. "Mario told me to find you! You gotta help me!"

"Hold the hors d'oeuvres. _Super _Mario sent you here?"

Toad nodded his head sporadically.

"Well, what's he need from me, little fella? Another pipe problem?"

Toad took a deep breath, and uttered his response at an unintelligible speed:

"SeethegistofitisthatwegotlostinsugarrushandweweretryingtofindourwaybackandtheseevilguyscamebyandtookoverthewholeplaceandnowthegamehasgonecrazyandnowMarioislostinitand… and… and-" Having ran out of air, Toad fell over unconscious.

Some of the other Nicelanders began to titter amongst themselves. Felix just stood looking down at the unconscious Toad, not knowing what to make of all this.

Ralph's voice startled him. "What was that all about? We got another lunatic?"

"Gosh if I know. All I know is, Super Mario seems to have sent him here, and we can't just leave him here like this. We've got to wake him up in a jiffy."

"Here, let me do it," offered Ralph. "I'll just give him the ol' slap to the face treatment and-"

"Eh, better let me do the waking him up part," Felix cut him off. "We don't want any repeats of last time, do we?" With that, Felix withdrew his golden hammer.

"Um, Felix…?" asked Mayor Gene. "N-not that I don't trust you, but… you're going to wake him up by hitting him with a _hammer_?"

Felix just shrugged. "Hasn't failed yet!"

Nor would it fail this time- at the touch of Felix's hammer, Toad instantly reanimated himself, shrieked "Vanellope's been kidnapped!", then collapsed in a heap on the ground once more.

Ralph, Felix, and several Nicelanders gasped.

"Oh my land!" exclaimed Felix. "What's happened over in _Sugar Rush_?"

"Not sure," growled Ralph. "But when I find whoever's behind all this, they're in for an old-school wreckin'!"

…

The grace period had long ended. Any amount of music, new rounds of food, or attempts to keep the peace could no longer qualm the worries of the Mushroom Kingdom's citizens. There was no reason at all why Mario wouldn't be here by now- unless, of course, something was terribly wrong.

By the time Ralph and Felix arrived in _Mario Bros._, the party had degenerated into a nihilistic debauch full of panicking partygoers. Some of them were scrambling around out of confusion and fright; most, however, were now listening intently to their Princess.

"Let me assure you, all is well! Mario will be here, I am sure of it! There's no reason at all why not! Please, enjoy yourselves!" Peach pleaded to her subjects.

"If all is well, as you say," a Toad asked accusingly, "why is he not here now!"

A mob of Toads had begun to speak with one voice. "We! Want! Ma-ri-o!" "WE! WANT! MA-RI-O!"

"He's not coming!" announced a booming voice.

At once the crowd fell silent. Toads at the back of the crowd parted to allow Felix and Ralph, who carried an unconscious Toad slung across his back, to pass through. Accompanying them was the familiar, green-clad figure of Mario's younger brother Luigi.

"Listen up!" Ralph said, addressing the Princess. "Mario's in trouble. Toad here has informed us he's lost in the world of _Sugar Rush_."

"That's why he's missing! Who's gonna protect us from that horrible Bowser now?!" exclaimed a Toad. A murmur went up from within the crowd.

"Anyway, me, Felix and Luigi are going out to find him," explained Ralph.

"Me too?" Luigi was suddenly inquisitive. "Do I have-a to come with you?"

Thankfully, Toad chose this moment to reanimate. "Oh, did we forget to mention? Mario took your Star Coin with him. Surely you want that nice, shiny coin back, eh Luigi?"

Luigi flashed an annoyed face at a smirking Toad. "Oh, Mama Mia… Fine, I'm coming, I'm coming! Let's-a find Mario!"

"Guys! Come on!" scolded Ralph. "Ahem. If anyone else wants to help save Mario, now's your chance. We're heading out now to rescue him, before the arcade opens." Neither Ralph nor Felix could detect any volunteers. "No? Very well then, we're leaving."

The four of them had already started out, when an unexpected voice made them turn around. "Wait!" shouted Peach. "I am coming with you!"

The crowd gasped. In an instant, her Toad guards seized her by the hands and dragged her back.

"Princess!" said the first guard. "Are you mad?"

"Bowser could have invaded that game!" said the other guard. "If he finds you, he'll kidnap you too! Then we're ALL done for!"

"You must let me go," she told them. "If Bowser has taken over the game, he has most definitely corrupted it. It is my duty to restore order to the chaos created by Bowser. Only my Wish Power can accomplish that." She called Toad to her side. "Toad, I am placing you in charge of the kingdom until I return," she instructed him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Really? Th-thank you!" stammered Toad, overcome with being presented such an honor. For a moment, as the heroes exited his game, he stood in shock…and then remembered the angry crowd that stood before him. "Er… Mushroom Tea, anyone?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Vanellope wasn't taking to her time in the captivity of her own castle all too well. She had ceased howling (much to the relief of Bowser), and she was no longer in shock from the attack upon her kingdom. Yet now she was, more than anything, inquisitive, especially since no one had given her an explanation of its purpose.

From within her cage, she could see Bowser on the floor below her. He was pacing, just as he had been when she first approached him, thinking she could have trusted him. How wrong she had been.

"Y'know," Vanellope said, breaking a long silence, "you still haven't told me what it is you want with me."

Bowser didn't even look up at her. "That's none of your business."

"Oh, it's not?" said Vanellope, outraged. "Look, you've gone and stuffed me in a cage. Dontcha think it's only fair that you tell me what you plan on doing with me?"

Bowser heaved an exasperated sigh. "Alright, alright! But don't say I never did a nice thing for you."

He pressed a button on the side of the wall, and from a chamber beneath the throne room floor, his Koopa Clown Car came into sight. He hopped in, hovered up to the captive girl's cage, and looked her square in the eyes.

"I'll make it simple, Princess. You're here until you hold up YOUR end of the deal."

"Deal? What deal?"

"Have you no memory of our little bargain?" Bowser asked slyly. "I promised to help you defeat Mario- and you promised to do something for me in return."

"Well, forget it, chump," Vanellope said with disdain. "I don't remember getting kidnapped being a part of the deal either. I'm not doing anything for you."

"No," said Bowser menacingly. "No, I rather think you will." He pressed another button on the controls of his Koopa Clown Car.

A trapdoor directly below Vanellope's cage opened, revealing a crevice filled with boiling lava. Without warning, the cage began to slowly descend. Vanellope gasped as she realized what Bowser was doing.

"Let's see if this won't motivate you," Bowser growled, baring his teeth at her in a horrible grin.

"No! STOP IT! _PLEASE!_"Vanellope screamed. "Alright, alright! I'll give you whatever you want! Take some Gold Coins! I've got plenty of them!"

On that word, the cage came to a halt. Vanellope collected herself, watching as the lava chamber below was sealed again. Abruptly, the cage began to move upward, back to its original position. She was face-to-face with Bowser once more.

"A fine offer indeed, Princess, but I have something specific in mind," said Bowser. "Something only you can give to me- and, moreover, something I must keep you alive for."

Vanellope glared at him. "What could I have that you could ever possibly want?"

"Power," whispered Bowser. "In this sorry existence, power is infinitely more invaluable than a thousand of your Gold Coins could ever be. And yours, Princess, is one that, before I discovered its existence, I could only have dreamed of. But this dream will soon be realized, once your power is mine."

"You're crazy," she spat at him. "I don't know what power you're talking about."

Bowser appeared not to have taken notice.

"When this game was reset, so too were the memories of not only its citizens, but of everyone in the gaming universe. Everyone, after all, now knows you as one of gaming's greatest racers. But few are aware of your special ability- which, by chance, was brought to my attention by your dearest friend Ralph." Bowser grinned at her again, which made her cringe in horror.

"It's your glitch, Vanellope," he explained. "That's all I ask of you."

Vanellope gave him a cockeyed look. "You mean you kidnapped me and mucked up my home world- just so you could have this?" As if to demonstrate, she glitched to the far corner of the cage and back again. "That's what you want?"

"That's exactly what I want," said Bowser. "You see, when not controlled, the glitch is a hindrance. Not good for anything. Controlled properly, it has its small uses- as you've found, I'm sure. Once mastered, it can unlock great power- the power to bend the very fabric of the game world as one sees fit. That power is what I seek. And once I have it," he went on, his voice rising- "I will finally be powerful enough to defeat Mario in more than just kart racing! But that's not all, Princess- those who possess the glitch can transfer it to others. Once it is mine, I will return to my castle, capture Princess Peach and force it upon her, trapping her within forever! With an army of evildoers and Peach at my side, I will rule every miserable corner of this pitiful arcade! No one will ever dare defy me again!"

Bowser had evidently become lost in visions of grandeur, as he failed to notice the dumbfounded look on Vanellope's face. It masked the sense of realization that now flowed through her. She shut her eyes. If there really was great power inside of her, she was going to discover it before Bowser could. She squinted, charging all the energy she could muster, letting it spread across her. _Just focus_, she told herself. _Focus and concentrate and…_

The Koopa King returned from his daydreaming- and was just in time to see surges of electricity erupt from Vanellope's hands. The charges grew stronger as Vanellope, now floating inches above the ground, built up her power. A bright blue light began to envelop her. It was all Bowser could do to keep from losing it. He was getting a sneak peek at this incredible power- the power that was soon to become his.

There was a final, mighty blast of power, one that would have disintegrated Bowser in an instant if it weren't for the glitch-proof cage separating them. Vanellope fell to the floor and collapsed, panting. Bowser simply stared, lost in his own fantasies.

"I never knew…" she started. She looked down at her glitching hands, which glowed blue in the darkness. "I never knew all of that was inside of me."

"Like I said, don't say I never did a nice thing for you," Bowser snapped as he himself returned to reality again.

"Nice thing indeed." Vanellope stuck her tongue at him. "I wouldn't give you my glitch even if I knew how."

"As much as I admire your determination, Princess, I'm afraid you're mistaken," retorted Bowser. "When the time is right, you _will _give to me your power."

"How do you know?"

Bowser glanced out the window again. "If you must know, as we speak, your pathetic little friends are on their way here to save you. And when they get here, Princess, I'll make sure you get a good, long glimpse of their deaths. Unless, of course, you're ready to hand over that glitch of yours now. Either way works for me."

"You don't know that. Why would they be coming here?" asked Vanellope.

Bowser laughed. "Idiot girl! They're coming because I have what they want- YOU!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

For the time being, however, Bowser was wrong. Ralph, Felix, Peach, and Luigi were sitting despairingly in Game Central Station, contemplating their next move.

"We can't take the train to _Sugar Rush _as long as it's out of order, but without it we can't get in the game," said Ralph. "What do we do?"

"We've-a gotta do _something!_" moaned Luigi. "My bro's in there, and I'm not-a going home without-a him!"

Peach sighed. "If only there was a way…"

Felix hadn't said anything, but had simply stared off lost in thought. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. A light bulb appeared over his head.

"Aha! I got it!" exclaimed Felix, even more jovially than usual. "It's so simple! Darned if I know why the idea didn't pop on into my brain until just now!"

There was a sudden whir of pink from behind Felix. Ralph wheeled around- and was perturbed by the sight of a panicking Taffyta Muttonfudge that stood before them.

"You guys?!" she shrieked. "You gotta help us! Some big freak showed up and-"

"…Took over _Sugar Rush_," finished Ralph nonchalantly. "We know, and we're waiting for them to fix the train so we can get in and let 'em have it."

"I just counted all the racers who made it out of the game before it crashed," Taffyta's fellow racer, Rancis Fluggerbutter, chimed in. "There's only thirteen of us! Someone's missing in there!"

"Vanellope!" Taffyta screeched crazily, clutching Rancis in a death grip.

"Yeah, we already know about her," added Jubileena Bing-Bing. "But there should be fifteen of us! There's someone else in there- it's not Crumbelina, is it? No, and it's not Citrusella either, it's… wait… oh no, it can't be! It's…"

The realization struck Taffyta in an instant. "Candlehead…" she gasped. "She has a crush on Mario! She must have stayed behind with him inside the game!"

Taffyta released Rancis and clutched Ralph's shins. "Please Ralph!" she sobbed. "You gotta find them! Find them and… and g-get the ga-hame b-back to no-horma-hal…"

Ralph ground his teeth in frustration, attempting to detach the wailing Taffyta from his legs. "I know, I know!" he yelled. "But we need a way in!"

"Oh there's a way in, all righty," announced Felix. "Ladies and germs, all we gotta do is find good ol' _Tammy_…"

…

"Whaddya mean, you cant-a help us?!" Luigi shrieked.

"Stuff it, Sunshine!" In a fit of anger, Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun slapped the plumber full in the face. He obviously hadn't made the mental transition that accompanied entrance to the bleak, hyper-realistic world of _Hero's Duty_.

Calming, she turned to her husband. "Felix, honey, tell me again what happened."

Felix repeated the whole story to her.

"So Vanellope's in trouble," said Calhoun. "When I find who's doing this, they're meeting me at the corner of Pay and Back. But first, we need a way into the game…"

"And what's keeping you from just using your shuttle?" Ralph asked.

"What, are you thick?" jeered Calhoun.

Ralph shrugged. "Just in my arms, Lady Trigger-fingers."

"Well, there's no way five of us can fit on that shuttle," she informed him. "We need another way…"

"Eeeek! What are those things?!" exclaimed the Mushroom Princess.

Calhoun looked up. Green clouds of robotic insects had filled the air. "Cy-bugs," she murmured, and then turned to the others. "Come on, guys. We've found our way in."

Felix gulped as he realized the plan. "Erm, Tammy? Are you _sure _about this?"

"No," snapped Calhoun. "Now, let's move!"

…

Bowser had nearly fallen asleep gazing out the window of his new abode. Only the arrival of his burly henchman, Boom Boom, succeeded in awakening him.

"King Bowser!" he exclaimed in a panic. "It's an emergency, Boss- er, sir!"

"Don't call me 'Boss'," Bowser scowled. "What're you wasting my time for?"

"Sir! Our sensors picked up an aircraft of some kind passing through the portal to this game! We don't know what it is, but it's probably reinforcements sent by friends of that little twerp," said Boom Boom, gesticulating towards the caged Vanellope.

Vanellope jumped at the sound. Ralph was coming to save her after all. And from the sound of things, he was about to step in a trap, just as she had done.

"The moment of truth comes out at last," murmured Bowser, before wheeling around to address his henchman. "Boom Boom! It's time to separate the minions from the scared little kids."

"Y-yes, King Bowser. I-" began Boom Boom, but Bowser interrupted him.

"Firstly, you should know how disappointed I was in your previous debacle," said Bowser, with an artificial dramatic sigh.

Boom Boom swallowed hard. "Y-yeah, look, I know my performance in Acorn Plains was less-than-stellar, sir…"

"Less-than-stellar indeed," Bowser sneered. "It took Mario all of five seconds to flatten you like a Goomba."

Boom Boom fell on his knees at the Koopa King's feet. "Oh please, sir, please! I know I can do better this time. Give me another chance!"

"I know you can. That's why I'm sending you out first, Boom Boom. Find Vanellope's little allies, and bring them before me. Don't disappoint me again."

Relieved at not being reprimanded, Boom Boom leapt up and saluted. "Aye-aye! You won't be disappointed, boss- uh, sir! Sir!"

Bowser took a deep breath, and exhaled a jet of fiery flame in his henchman's direction. "Eeeyah!" Boom Boom just barely made it out of the throne room door before it became engulfed in flames. The sight of it made Vanellope gasp in horror.

"AND STOP CALLING ME BOSS!" roared Bowser, but Boom Boom was already gone.

Bowser now turned to address his prisoner. "Well, it seems as though your little friends had the decency to try to save you after all, Princess. From up here, you'll get the best view of their demise!" He punctuated this threat with his usual villainous laughter.

Vanellope wasn't going to let him harm any of them- not Ralph, not Felix, not even Mario. In desperation, she turned to the window and screamed out into the darkness.

"RALPH!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_This wasn't Sugar Rush._

Maybe it had been, once. But not now.

As Ralph and the others entered the game from atop a captured Cy-bug, they stopped in shock at the game's transformation. Gone were the pastel colors and vibrant, whimsical graphics. The world had become a candy-coated wasteland of fog and brimstone. Where before there had been a beautiful castle, there was now a monstrous fortress of shale and concrete, surrounded by a moat of boiling lava.

"Things are worse than I thought in this place," said Calhoun.

"My land… what could've happened?" asked Felix.

Luigi was the first to piece everything together. "…He's-a here."

"Huh?" Everyone turned to face him.

"He was-a missing from his own game, and suddenly this place looks-a like the Koopa Kingdom… Don't-a you see? It's-a Bowser! He's taken over this-a game!" Luigi explained. Everyone gasped in realization.

"Bowser?" asked Ralph. "No, it can't be him… I know him! At least, I thought I knew him. Wonder what made him snap?..."

"Dunno about this Bowser joker, but if he's taken over, then she's in danger as long as she's here," said Calhoun, pointing at Peach.

"She's-a right, Peach," said Luigi. "We need to drop-a you off here."

Calhoun flew back to the portal to Game Central, and deposited Peach at the entrance to _Sugar Rush_.

"Please, don't do this," Peach protested. "You must take me with you."

"No ma'am!" said Felix. "The last thing we need is for that big creep to snatch you away too. You'll be much safer here. We'll be right back."

And with that, the Cy-bug and its passengers flew out of sight.

…

"There's no way he could have made it this far!" growled Ralph, as the four of them flew over a forest of lifeless candy trees.

"He's gotta be in here somewhere," said Felix.

Suddenly Luigi was pointing to the forest. "Look-a down there!"

Everyone peered down. Standing at the top of a tree, jumping and waving his arms sporadically, was a familiar mustachioed figure.

"Now we got him," said Calhoun, and steered her Cy-bug towards the treetops.

Mario didn't seem particularly grateful when his saviors arrived. "What took ya so long?" he asked grouchily as he leapt aboard with a thud. "And what's this bug-thing?"

"Long story," said Ralph. "Hey, how'd you get so good at steering this thing anyway, Tammy?"

"Well, I've had plenty of practice with it with what I like to call a jump kill," Calhoun explained. "You jump on the bugs, ride to wherever, and then take 'em out. You got to kill these things, you might as well get your money's worth out of 'em."

"That's the Tammy I married!" said Felix. "So, what happened here, Mario? We've been hoofing it all over creation to find you!"

"Eh… you know, the usual stuff," said Mario, in an oddly gruff tone. "I was just doin' my usual thing, jumping and eating pasta. Good times, good times, right? And then this place suddenly looks like Hades' gate. No idea why."

"Jiminy Jaminy, Mario. You sound like you're coming down with something!"

"I know, right?" asked Mario. "All this fog and whatnot. 'S terrible."

"Looks like you put on some pounds, too," pointed out Ralph.

"Yeah, and what happened to your accent, Mario?"

"Er…" began Mario, as the others stared him down.

Luigi had put two and two together again. "Wait a second…" Without warning, he leaned over and, in a single stroke, ripped his brother's mustache clean off. Mario clutched his lips where the fake facial hair had been, and howled in pain.

"I knew it!" he shrieked. "That's-a not Mario!"

Calhoun wheeled around with her blaster pointed squarely at the imposter. "Alright, you little Italian scuzbag, what have you done with the real Mario?!"

"Italian?" the fake Mario chuckled. "Please. This is all the Italian I'll ever need to know: Arrivederci, suckers!" With that, he leapt high in the air, and slammed onto the Cy-bug's back with tremendous force. The impact sent Ralph, Felix, Calhoun, and Luigi flying. Riding high aboard the Cy-bug, the faker watched as his opponents crash-landed in the taffy swamp below him.

"Heh… I'm surprised they actually bought it," laughed Boom Boom, as he removed his plumber's costume. "I shoulda been an actor instead one of stinkin' King Bowser's henchmen… Well, I lost the others, but he'll want to have a look at this bug-thing anyway. Guess I better bring it back to 'im." Boom Boom steered the Cy-bug in the direction of Bowser's new castle.

But Calhoun wasn't going to let him escape that easily. From atop a candy tree, she fired her grappling hook at the Cy-bug's belly. The bug came to a sudden halt, sending Boom Boom flying right off. "EEEYAAAH!"

The foursome watched as he landed headfirst into a pool of hot, molten chocolate.

"Coward," murmured Calhoun, as she wrangled the Cy-bug back to her with her grappling hook. She turned to the others. "Pull yourselves together, people. We gotta keep moving."

…

"And you came back on such short notice, to inform me WHAT, exactly?!" Bowser roared at his henchman.

Boom Boom, now covered in angry red welts, spoke up. "Sir, I found them… it was Luigi, sir! Luigi and three other guys! I tried to get 'em to buy it, but then they found me out, and… well, what could I do, sir? It was just one of me against four of them!"

"You've failed me again… I warned you not to disappoint me this time, didn't I?" asked Bowser. "Well, it's rather convenient for me, then, that this place has a dungeon… and luckily for you, I hear it's a rather _fun _one."

Boom Boom gulped.

Bowser snapped his fingers, summoning Kamek to his side. "Kamek, take this useless waste of space down to the dungeon, and come straight back here when you're done," he instructed. "I've got a job for you to do…"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Ralph couldn't believe Bowser was behind all this. He thought he knew the Koopa King before, from all those Bad-Anon meetings the two had attended together. And now, not only had he taken over _Sugar Rush_ AND imprisoned Vanellope, one of his minions had just attempted to kill him.

As he flew with the other heroes aboard the remounted Cy-bug, he simply couldn't shake off the nagging feeling of betrayal. It was that feeling where you realize everything you know about someone is a lie.

Passing the remains of Diet Cola Mountain on the left, the foursome came within sight of the former Candy Castle.

"That must be our next stop," said Calhoun.

"You think-a Mario's in there?" asked Luigi.

"He must be!" Felix reassured him.

Ralph nodded in agreement. But where was Vanellope?

Suddenly, as the party approached the castle, Ralph's question was answered for him. Through the smog and the darkness, a voice rang out in his ears. It was a cry for help, in a familiar feminine voice. And it was coming from the castle…

"Ralph!" it screamed. "Ralph!"

"VANELLOPE!" yelled Ralph. "I'M COMING!"

The others stared at him, as if only he had heard Vanellope's voice. In an instant, they too heard it. "Ralph!"

"Oh no, it _is_ Vanellope! No time to dillydally, we gotta save her!" yelped Felix.

A sudden explosion to the right of the group startled them. Calhoun leapt back to the reins of the Cy-bug.

"Something's out there…" she murmured.

But there wasn't anything. Nothing was visible in the dense fog that enshrouded the heroes. As they looked around, a second explosion went off right over their heads, and the full context of the situation became frighteningly clear. Something was out there, all right- and whatever it was, it was firing at them.

"Everyone hold on to your helmets! Whatever's out there, it means business!" Calhoun yelled, as she swerved the Cy-bug out of enemy fire.

They did indeed mean business- without warning, a third projectile struck the underbelly of the Cy-bug. The force of the explosion knocked Luigi off of its back. In desperation, he clung to the bug's thorax.

The Cy-bug emitted a howl of pain, and began to descend.

"We're losing altitude!" shouted Calhoun. "Nothing left to do but crash!"

"Oh land… we're gonna die… we're gonna die… which means we won't regenerate… which means…" Felix couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead, he whipped out a paper bag and began to hyperventilate.

"Get a _hold_ of yourself, Fix-it!" snapped Calhoun, before turning to address the group. "Alright, everyone! Assume crash positions!"

Not knowing what to do, Ralph, Felix, and Luigi struck ridiculous poses.

"…On second thought, maybe we should just continue panicking," said Calhoun.

The foursome screamed in horror as the bug descended towards the lava-filled chasm below them.

However, as the bug approached the chasm, a massive airship suddenly emerged from the darkness. Calhoun instantly realized this was the unseen vessel that had been firing at them only moments ago.

Felix, Ralph, and Luigi shut their eyes in anticipation of the inevitable. Calhoun instead steered the downed Cy-bug with all her might in the direction of the airship. The bug came to a grinding halt on its bow.

Ralph opened his eyes. "We're… alive!" he exclaimed.

"Yay for me, Luigi! I'm a dance! I'm a sing! I'm-a so happy!" Luigi, overjoyed at the prospect of not dying, broke into a dance.

"Sweet merciful cherry pie! That was quite a landing, Tammy!" Felix beamed.

"Don't get too cheerful over there, ladies," snapped Calhoun. "I got a feeling we're not alone up here…"

The others looked at their surroundings. No one but themselves seemed to be occupying the craft. Yet as an eerie silence began to set in, they couldn't help but feel the sense that they were all in danger.

Luigi broke the silence. "Eh, y-you guys go check-a it out; I'll just… uh… stay here with this bug-thing and-"

At that moment, the Cy-bug gave a pained grunt and fell over, unconscious. Luigi screamed as he leapt out of its way.

Calhoun looked up at an eerie glow high above their heads. At the top of the ship's mast burned a massive flame. It seemed to be the only source of light in this dark wasteland. Soon, Ralph and Felix had joined her at her side, gazing at the firelight. That couldn't have been any ordinary flame, they realized- it simply felt too ominous.

Luigi hadn't noticed. Having escaped death by crash-landing and by being crushed by a Cy-bug, he had decided now was the time to initiate another happy dance. And he was too rapt in his emotions to notice the dark figure rising behind him…

Ralph, however, was not. "Green 'Stache! Behind you!"

Luigi whipped around. "Happy feeling's gone!" he shrieked as he leapt over the incoming magic projectile.

Calhoun dug into her holster in search of her blaster, only to find it missing. She must have lost it back in the taffy swamp. _Looks like we'll be doing this the old-fashioned way,_ she thought.

Luigi was quick to identify the aggressor. "Kamek!" he shouted. "Where's Mario?"

The bespectacled Koopa cackled maniacally. "Your luck just ran out, you little pests! King Bowser will surely want to have a word with you!"

Kamek mounted his broomstick, and began encircling the airship with his dark magic. In an instant, the ship animated itself, and began to move in the direction of the Koopa King's new castle.

"Hey, I'm-a not done with you!" yelled Luigi. "What do you want-a with Mario?!"

"Perhaps I'm not the best one to ask!" Kamek chortled. "My newest minion will be happy to answer that for you!" He put his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly.

The heroes looked up at the flame above them- and suddenly realized what had been so ominous about it. At the sound of Kamek's whistle, it was descending towards the ground. In an instant, the hotheaded figure of Kamek's new minion stood before them.

"So!" she exclaimed. "You must be the meanies Master Kamek said would come to try to steal my TROPHY!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

She was almost unrecognizable- almost. Though she indeed looked different wearing a torn dress and the signature cuff-link bands sported by Bowser's highest-ranking military officials, it was the inimitable blaze above her hooded face that gave her away.

Ralph recognized her on sight. "Candlehead!"

"Pleased to see me?" retorted Candlehead, in a mock provocative tone of voice.

"If the way you just said that didn't sound eerily as though you were about to kill me, then yes!" shouted Ralph. "Now come on! There's not much time!"

"Oh, believe me, I have all the time in the world," Candlehead replied, her eyes narrowed. "It's YOUR time that's up!"

"Wh- what're you talking about?" asked Felix. "It's us! Felix and Ralph! We're here to rescue you!"

Candlehead smirked.

"Rescue me? I don't need rescuing. Don't lie to me like that. I know what you're really doing here. You're here because you want this trophy!"

On her last word, the mast began to descend into the interior of the ship, exposing its contents. Candlehead's "trophy" sat on the very top of the mast. Tied up and unconscious, a familiar red-capped figure came into sight from above.

Luigi spotted his trapped, unconscious brother- and suddenly the rest of the world had vanished, his friends, enemies, and surroundings being wrapped up in an ephemeral miasma. For the moment, all that existed were the two brothers, with nothing to impede them. Unable to believe his eyes, Luigi tentatively cast his brother's name into the haze.

"Ma… Mario?"

At the sound of his name, Mario slowly opened his eyes, regaining consciousness. As they locked on to his brother's face, they lit up. "Luigi!"

"MAAAAARIOOO-HO-HOOO-owaaaaah!"

Luigi had broken free of the other heroes and rushed up to embrace his brother- only to be knocked aside by a single, mighty blow from Candlehead.

"Don't even think about it, you little thief!" the candle-headed girl sneered in Luigi's direction. "He's MINE!"

Felix rushed to Luigi's side, and helped him to his feet. Luigi narrowed his eyes. The mist returned to blot the outside world from his vision- and this time, it was surrounding just himself and Candlehead.

"HOW DARE-A… YOU MESS… WITH-A MY BRO!" Luigi shrieked as he charged her- and was flung aside again, this time by a magic projectile from Kamek.

"LUIGI!" screamed Mario, as his brother hit the ground unconscious. As if to respond, Candlehead clutched Mario's waist as if the plumber were her first-born son.

"Well, I think that takes care of our plumber problem," chuckled Kamek, before waving his magic scepter in Candlehead's direction. "Listen up, Flame-face! We got a couple of trophy thieves on our hands, so why don't you entertain our party guests here while they wait for King Bowser? And make it snappy!" he ordered.

"Yes, master," she replied flatly.

Ralph, Felix, and Calhoun could only watch as Candlehead began to levitate. The flames above her head were intensifying far beyond what she could normally muster. This had to be Kamek's work… but how was he making it happen?

The realization of the source of her newfound abilities was temporarily cast aside as she promptly used them to send a powerful surge of fireballs in the direction of the heroes. Using his large fists, Ralph shielded Felix and Calhoun from being caught in the blast. Calhoun fired her grappling hook at Candlehead, and it seized her by the scruff of the neck. With a mighty whip, Calhoun sent the supercharged 9-year-old flying. She collapsed in a heap at Kamek's feet before struggling to her own, panting.

Felix took this opportunity to reanimate Luigi using his hammer. The green-clad hero jumped to his feet, his fists pointing straight at Kamek.

"Hmmm… Four against two, eh? Doesn't seem too fair. Why don't we up the ante a bit?!" Kamek cackled as he waved his scepter.

Candlehead began to whirl around, and from her left and right sides erupted identical copies of herself.

"It's a magic attack!" warned Luigi as Candlehead and her twin clones began to converge on them.

"That… that can't be! No one in _Sugar Rush_ can use magic! That's impossible! That's- Yaaah!" One of the clones had charged Felix, sending him flying to the edge of the bow. The clone readied for another assault, but Felix caught her by the ankles and sent her flying over the edge. She disapparated before she hit the ground.

"Watch it, Wreck-it!" ordered Calhoun as a second clone leapt right over Ralph's head. Calhoun seized the clone with her grappling hook and sent her careening towards the mast. She hit it head-on, fell to the ground unconscious, and faded into nothingness.

"He's right," said Ralph. "They can't use magic in this game! Which means the source of the magic must be…"

As if to finish Ralph's sentence for him, Luigi charged at the now-vulnerable Kamek and pounced on his head. Dazed from the unexpected attack, Kamek stumbled off of the ship's stern and dropped his scepter, which shattered apart and ceased to exist.

From the spot where the broken scepter had been there erupted a violent whirlwind, which swept up Luigi, Ralph, Calhoun, and Felix, and deposited them all across the floor of the ship.

"MY TROPHY!" yelled Candlehead as she watched as Mario was swallowed up by the storm, before being swallowed up herself. The whirlwind tossed them around like tumbleweeds, then disappeared. Kamek had vanished.

Mario, freed from his restraints by the windstorm, was quickly joined by his brother, who helped him to his feet. "Good to see you, bro!" Mario cried cheerfully.

Candlehead hit the floor with a loud thud. The infernal flame that had previously adorned her head had been reduced to a dull flicker. Slowly, she picked herself up from off the floor and stared around, blinking and rubbing her eyes.

"Where… am I …" she moaned.

Felix beamed. "I'll wager that nasty Kamek was controlling her with that scepter! Well, she seems normal again. Jeepers, I'm glad that's ov- wait! Where's Ralph?"

Mario jumped up. "RALPH!" he shouted into the darkness.

Only an echo answered his call.

"My land… where is he?" asked Felix.

In effect, the darkness suddenly lifted. Felix, Calhoun, Candlehead, and the Mario Bros. stared in awe at the sight that befell them. Before the band of heroes lay the threshold to the mighty, monstrous fortress of the evil King Bowser.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Slowly, Ralph struggled to his feet. The last thing he remembered was being chucked off of an airship by a massive windstorm. And now, here he was, at the façade of the palace he had sought to enter from the very beginning of the journey.

Behind him was a massive window, which Ralph quickly realized would be his only way into the castle at this rate. He looked down from the window's balcony and spotted the airship, which slid out of sight.

Ralph considered his options: Things were indeed bad, but if he could make his way inside and find Bowser… surely, Bowser would listen to one of his fellow bad guys, right? Couldn't they still relate? If not, well… things could only get worse…

A sudden clicking noise from behind him distracted him, but it was the voice that followed that made him jump. "Ralph?"

Ralph knew that voice… He whipped around.

Vanellope Von Schweetz was sitting in a cage on the other side of the window.

…

"What do we do now-a?" Luigi asked the others.

"Well, one thing's clear!" announced Felix. "We gotta find Vanellope and Ralph!"

"And stop-a Bowser!" Mario added. "Stop him before he takes-a over the arcade!"

Everyone fell silent. "Before he does… WHAT?!" Calhoun demanded.

Mario cleared his throat. "When I got-a captured, I overheard Bowser's plans-a. Apparently, there was-a supposed to be a new-a game where Bowser was-a the main character, but it's-a been scrapped! Now Bowser wants-a to get revenge-a and take over this entire arcade so he can make it his own-a! I didn't hear-a the rest, but he said something about-a some kind of legendary superpower… whatever that-a could be, we gotta stop him before-a he unleashes it on-a the arcade!"

"Then we don't have a choice. We're going in!" declared Calhoun.

"Not so fast, chumps! This party's not over yet!" came a screeching voice.

The heroes looked up. Kamek soared high above them on his broomstick, having resumed control of the airship, and began firing magic blasts in Mario's direction.

"Hey, you meanie! You tried to kill Mario!"

Everyone glanced at Candlehead, whose flame had violently reignited. Felix and Calhoun braced themselves for another attack, but it didn't come. Her words, they realized, were directed at Kamek.

With a powerful Super Jump- one that made even Mario's jaw drop- the flaming ex-minion flung herself high into the air right at Kamek. "You'll PAY for what you did to him!" she screamed as she came down hard on his cranium, causing him to spiral to the floor of the airship.

Candlehead landed triumphantly on the ship's bow. Kamek, separated from his broomstick, landed face-first before the mast.

"One-a more stomp and you're-a toast," Luigi taunted him.

"Looks like the tables have turned," said Felix, brandishing his hammer.

"Ha! That's what you think!" the crazed Magikoopa cackled. "But I got one more ace up my sleeve! Yahahaw!"

Kamek mounted his broomstick, hovered high in the air over the ship, pressed a button high atop the mast, and sped off. He was a safe distance away by the time the airship finally exploded.

…

"C'mon, Ralph! C'mon! Wreck faster!" Vanellope pleaded.

"I'm trying! I'm wrecking as fast as I can here!" Ralph yelled as he continued to beat his fists against the window. It seemed like an eternity had passed, and all Ralph had been able to produce were mere cracks in the candy stained glass. _30 years and I just now find the hardest window I've ever had to break_, he thought to himself.

"Okay, I almost got it! Stand back, 'Nelly!" Ralph ordered as he got a running start and finally rammed his way through the glass. Vanellope shielded her eyes as bits of glass rained down upon her. "Ralph, you did it! Now get me outta this cage!"

Ralph took a step back. "Okay, kid, don't move. I'm gonna find a way to get you outta here. I promise, you're gonna be okay," he said, cracking his knuckles.

A sudden rumbling sound startled him. For the moment, Ralph forgot Vanellope and hurried back to the balcony. As he took in the sight below him, his heart plummeted into his stomach. Where before there had been an airship, there was now a pile of smoldering, charred rubble. Felix, Calhoun, and the Mario Bros. were nowhere in sight. "MARIO!"

Suddenly, Mario's voice found Ralph's ears. "Ralph?"

"Mario!" Ralph yelled again, this time with excitement. "Hey! We're up here!"

He was too distracted to notice the large hunk of debris from the downed airship that was headed right for him. "Ralph!" Vanellope screeched. "LOOK OUT!"

Vanellope shielded her eyes again as the debris struck the balcony. When she opened them again, Ralph was dangling from the edge by his fingers, losing consciousness.

"K-kid…" he said weakly. Vanellope could see his strength was leaving him.

"Ralph, no! Hang in there, Ralph, just hang on! Please, Ralph, please! PLEASE!"

With his last ounce of strength, he pulled his face above the edge, and his eyes met hers. "I'm so proud of you, kid…" he started to say, before he lost his consciousness- and his grip on the balcony's ledge. Vanellope was powerless to watch as he fell to his doom.

"No… nonono… NONONO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOO!" Vanellope wailed, as her best friend sank out of sight. "_RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALPH_!"

Vanellope sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands. She knew it was over. He was gone for good. "Ralph…" she sobbed. A single tear streamed down her cheek.

The throne room door flung open, and Bowser entered, flanked by Kamek. His initial rage at the sight of the wrecked window vanished at the sight of Vanellope crying. Rather, it appeared almost as if he were excited. "Quickly! A flask!" he ordered Kamek.

Vanellope shut her eyes again. For a moment, she felt herself being removed from her cage and hoisted into the air. There was the sensation of something cold being pressed against her cheek, before she returned to the ground. She opened her eyes, and Bowser was standing above her with a flask in his hand, which contained one of her tears.

Bowser held the flask high above his head- and suddenly it exploded in a shower of sparks. An ominous red glow enveloped the powerful Koopa King.

"YES!" he roared. "At last, the power to bend the fabric of this world is MINE!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

_You and your little friend are doomed…_

The voice of Turbo, Ralph's former nemesis, rang aloud in his mind.

_No,_ thought Ralph. _No, it can't be…_

_ It's game over for both of you, _Turbo persisted as Ralph approached his doom.

"No," Ralph answered him aloud this time, just as he had done in his last encounter with him. "It's game over… for me…"

Ralph shut his eyes. He was ready.

WHAM!

_I'm dead,_ Ralph thought. _I gotta be dead._ But he was not- that he was in pain from his landing was proof of that. The surface on which he had just landed was not that of boiling lava. Rather, it had a cold, metallic feel to it.

"You must be a friend of Mario's," a pleasant voice sounded nearby. "Stand."

Ralph did as he was told, and took in his surroundings. He was standing on what appeared to be a metal saucer, one that was flying in the direction of the castle gate. The pilot of the saucer, a young woman in aqua blue, stood nearby with her back to him. Ralph could only assume she was the owner of the mellifluous voice that had just addressed him.

"Thanks for the save, and… uh… lady, who are you?" asked Ralph.

The woman turned. Her platinum-blonde hair was lank and long, and her eyes glistened like emeralds. Ralph was instantly seized with a sensation of déjà vu. He knew he had seen her face somewhere… perhaps in Game Central Station?

"I am Rosalina," she answered him. "I watch over and protect the many worlds within this arcade. I have sensed that your friend Mario is in grave peril. That is what has brought me here."

Suddenly Ralph remembered. "Mario! FELIX! What's happened to them… they're not… they can't be-"

"Worry not," Rosalina assured him. "Your friends are alive. I have sensed it. We shall join them in due time."

Ralph's knees buckled as he felt the saucer lurch forward with a great boost of speed. Surely enough, within a minute they were flying side-by-side with the Mario Bros., Felix, Calhoun and Candlehead, all riding atop the reanimated Cy-bug.

"Ralph!" Felix yelped with delight. "Goody gumdrops, he's alive!"

"Glad you could drop in on us," chuckled Calhoun.

"I told-a you he'd make it," Mario answered. "Thanks-a so much, Rosalina."

" You are welcome. But my work here is not done," she responded. "This monster has upset the balance of order in the realm of gaming. It is my duty to restore order to this world. Until I have fulfilled this task, I shall accompany you."

"Well, we'd be glad to have ya," Ralph answered. "Now let's move!"

Together, the seven heroes touched down at the castle gate. Calhoun whipped out her grappling hook and fired it at the Cy-bug before tying it to a nearby post, creating a makeshift leash.

"Now you just stay right here and behave yourself," she told the Cy-bug. "We've got some unfinished business to take care of."

As if they had been expected, the gate swung wide, giving the heroes access to the castle. And as if to greet them, a maniacal laugh from Bowser rang out from within.

…

If the changes Bowser had made to the castle's exterior were bad, things on the inside were, if anything, worse. No longer the vibrant, heartwarming abode of Vanellope Von Schweetz, this was now a dark, foreboding place of great evil.

"It's so dark in here," whimpered Candlehead. "I can't see…"

"We can't turn back now," said Ralph. "This is between me and Bowser. And I'm not leaving until I find him and Vanellope."

"Ralph? Is that you?" asked a voice from within the darkness. The sound of it made Ralph's hair stand on end. A pair of eyes emerged from the pitch-blackness, followed by the rest of the figure of the castle's former owner.

"Ralph!" Vanellope shrieked, as she flung herself at his legs. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"Good to see you too, kid," said Ralph, patting her on the shoulder.

"Listen, get outta here! All of you!" Vanellope hissed. "You guys are walking into a trap! Bowser stole my glitch, and he's about to use it to kill you guys! You gotta run, now!"

"He stole… what?! 'Nelly, what are you talking ab-"

Ralph broke off as lightning bolts suddenly illuminated the dark throne room. "Gwahahaha! Welcome to the crib, shrimps! Ready for a taste of my cool new power?"

Ralph knew the voice. "Bowser! How could you do this? I thought you knew better!"

The erubescent Koopa King appeared before them. "Oh, I know what I'm doing all right, Ralph my man. And I'm just gettin' started!" He began charging up a powerful attack.

Vanellope leapt in front of Ralph, shielding him. "Stay back, guys! I'm the only one who can take him!" She leapt high in the air and began to attack using her own discharge.

Bowser was ready: With a wave of his claws, red bolts of electricity erupted from him, and the two rays of light became suspended in the darkness. Stray bolts burst off from the point where they met, striking at anything in the distance. As the red surges met the blue, they gradually forced back Vanellope's attacks. Finally, there was an earsplitting bang and Vanellope was blown backwards into the air, hitting the ground with a subtle thud.

"VANELLOPE!" Ralph yelled, scooping up the unconscious girl in his arms.

"Finally… I WIN!" Bowser roared in a fit of triumph. "The last greatest glitch in the arcade is no more, and no mortal can challenge me now! I will be-"

"Hey, what's this thing do?" asked a voice from behind Bowser.

Bowser whirled around in a panic. While the others had been intently observing the ensuing boss battle, Candlehead had become distracted with the buttons on Bowser's control panel. With a look of curiosity on her face, she hammered a large red button on top of the panel. Bowser's eyes widened in terror as the floor beneath him began to rumble.

"Oh crud."

Without warning, the throne room trapdoor gave way, exposing the pit of boiling lava within. Bowser plummeted like a stone, foiled once again by his arch-nemeses.

"OOOWAAAAAH!" he screamed, as the trapdoor resealed itself above the lava pit.

…

Overjoyed at Bowser's defeat, the heroes proceeded to triumphantly exit the castle. "Yippee!" the Mario Bros. exclaimed in unison. "Game over for Bowser!"

"It's not over yet, guys!" shouted Calhoun. "The Cy-bug's gone! It escaped!"

"No way!" said Mario, staring at the broken grappling hook. "You don't-a think-"

With a deafening roar, Mario was interrupted by the arrival of his worst nightmare.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

A powerful rumble pierced the air as the Candy Castle creaked, shuddered, and collapsed in a heap of frosting and breadcrumbs. From the rubble emerged the most enormous, fearsome thing Mario and his companions had ever seen. Half Koopa King, half Cy-bug, and one hundred percent terrifying, the creature threw back its horned head and let out an earsplitting roar.

"YOU!" Mario yelled with all the wind he could muster at Bowser's new Cy-bug form, which hovered in the air directly in front of him.

"Well, well, well… looks like we got ourselves a little BUG bait!" roared Bowser, whose head, arms, and torso sat atop the lower body of a Cy-bug. "Did you chumps really think a little heat would be enough to finish ME off?! Well, THINK AGAIN!"

Cy-Bowser now hovered in the air above Ralph, tantalizingly out of reach of his massive fists.

"Ralph old pal, I owe you one," chuckled Cy-Bowser. "I never expected you to actually show up to witness my takeover of the arcade… and yet, here you are! I gotta say, this is _not_ how I envisioned becoming the most powerful glitch in the arcade," he said as he glanced downward, taking in his new form, "but no matter! I'm back and better than ever, and my master plan is almost complete! And I could never have done it without you!"

"BOWSER!" yelled an irate Ralph, hopping up and down and flailing his huge hands. "Get down here and say that to my fist!"

Cy-Bowser laughed- a metallic, monstrous laugh that was even more cacophonous and horrible than his usual laughter.

"Much obliged, my good Ralph, but I do believe I'll pass," Cy-Bowser sneered. "After all, it wouldn't be a fair fight for you, now that the power to bend the fabric of this game is MINE! And hey, Mario, look what else I got!"

Mario gasped as Cy-Bowser, now looking him square in the eye, revealed the contents of his outstretched hand. Trapped in its clutches, with a look of naked terror about her face, was the princess of his kingdom.

"MARIOOO! _HELP ME!_" she screamed, as Cy-Bowser laughed horribly again.

"PEACH!" shrieked Mario, but she was well out of his reach. Cy-Bowser flew off for Waffle Cone Mountain, and wheeled around to address the eight heroes one last time.

"Not even Nintendo can defy me now, you meddlesome fools. Your game as you know it is OVER. I'd love to stick around and chat some more, but it's about time I headed outta here, to once and for all complete my master plan! Next stop- Bowser's Castle!"

With that, Cy-Bowser flew off at high speed. His laughter and Peach's cries of "MARIO!" could still be heard even as he shrank to a tiny dot on the horizon.

Ralph continued watching him. "He can't mean it," he said to himself. "He knows better than to mess with the program like that! He can't be serious."

"Too bad he doesn't seem to know better than to try and kill one of his fellow bad guys," said Calhoun as she joined him on the edge of the castle walls.

The heroes gathered in a clearing by the wrecked castle to once again contemplate their next move. Ralph and Luigi seemed as if they were about to go chasing Bowser down.

"We've-a gotta stop him!" shouted Luigi. "He's-a got Peach, and who knows-a what he could do next? We gotta stop-a him before-a it happens!"

"You mean me," said Ralph. "It's personal now. No one stops him but me!"

"That would not be wise," advised Rosalina. "His ambition has corrupted him. His power now rivals that of the very code of this world itself. Unless he is reverted to his normal form, I fear he may be unstoppable."

"D-does this mean w-we're all g-gonna d-die?" stammered Candlehead.

"I cannot say," Rosalina answered her, "but it is clear to me that, for the time being, we lack a means of stopping him."

"Jiminy jaminy…" Felix said dejectedly. "Mario won't be happy to hear this…"

"Hey, where is Mario?" Vanellope asked. The other heroes looked among themselves and instantly wondered the same thing.

They found him soon enough. Mario was kneeling beside the rubble of the castle, with his back to the heroes and his face hidden beneath his hands.

Tentatively, Vanellope approached him. "Mario...?" she asked him as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

Mario looked up at the young girl, and his bright blue eyes glistened with tears. They flowed down his cheeks and streaked all the way across his large nose.

He looked away from her. "This is all my fault…" he whispered.

"It's okay, Mario," Vanellope told him. "This isn't your fault. I never should have trusted Bowser in the first place. I let him get the best of me. It's my fault, Mario, it's-"

"NO!" Mario shouted, with a sudden rage that made the other heroes jump. "This-a is MY fault! I brought Bowser here! I wasn't quick enough-a to stop him! And now he's-a finally going to win…" Mario sank to his knees and sat in solitude for the longest time.

"I should've been-a given your friend's-a job," he said after a long silence, pointing at Ralph. "I'm-a the real wrecker here. I wrecked-a your kart, your home, and now the balance of-a the world itself." His face fell in his hands, and he became silent again.

This time, Vanellope broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Mario…" she said softly as she knelt beside him. She knew she was to blame for all this just as much as Mario was. Once more she felt the tears coming, but she made no attempt to conceal them. A lone tear ran down her face and landed on the stone floor at Mario's feet.

In an instant, Mario began to rise into the air. A bright blue light surrounded him.

"MARIO! W-what's-a happening?!" Luigi shrieked.

As she watched Mario levitate, Vanellope suddenly remembered Bowser's words. _Those who possess the glitch can transfer it to others…_

"My powers!" Vanellope yelled. "Hey Mario, I just gave you my powers!"

Mario landed on the ground again and examined his fist, which gave off an intense blue glow. "Yes… YES! _YAHOO!_" Mario cried with joy. "I can-a FEEL the power!"

Mario stared off towards Waffle Cone Mountain. "Okay, guys," he told the others. "I messed up this-a world, and now I'm-a setting things right. I have-a to face him alone."

"Alone?!" said Vanellope, dumbfounded. "What, do ya got fudge for brains? You're only as strong as he is by yourself. Against two of us, he doesn't stand a chance!"

"Super!" exclaimed Mario. "But… how are we going to catch him in time?"

"Yeah, how?" asked Ralph. "And, uh… where are Felix and Candlehead?"

His question was answered for him as Candlehead pulled up in front of the ruined castle in her Ice Screamer. Behind her, Felix emerged from behind the wheel of Vanellope's newly repaired Candy Kart. "All fixed up and ready for more action!" he said, beaming.

This was it. The fate of the arcade rested in Mario's gloved hands.

"Well, Vanellope?" Mario asked her, smiling. "You ready for one last-a race?"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"It's been 30 years," Cy-Bowser muttered to himself as he stormed off for the entrance to Game Central Station. "30 long, miserable years of condemnation to defeat and dejection… and it all ends NOW!"

Just then, Waffle Cone Mountain came into view. Cy-Bowser immediately spotted the portal to Game Central Station atop its peak, and flew off for it as fast as his scaly wings would carry him.

Peach, encased in Cy-Bowser's massive hand, continued to wail "MARIO!" from behind his back.

"You may as well save your breath, Peach!" he snarled. "Mario can't stop me now! NO ONE CAN! _GWAHAHA!_"

…

Fortunately for Peach, Mario wasn't giving her up without a fight.

With both feet on the accelerator of the Ice Screamer, he was heading for Waffle Cone Mountain in pursuit of Cy-Bowser. Close behind him were Vanellope in her Candy Kart, as well as the other six heroes, all riding atop Rosalina's saucer.

His eyes suddenly lit up as Cy-Bowser and his cargo came into view. "There they are!" he yelled to the others.

Something else became visible; too- it was the sight of Peach in his claws. Even from afar, Mario could hear her helpless cries of "Mario!"

"PEACH!" he screamed.

At the sound of Mario's voice, Cy-Bowser wheeled around and spotted him in the Ice Screamer. Only then did Mario realize his mistake.

"Oh look, here comes dessert!" he said jeeringly. "Too bad I'm trying to cut down on the sweet stuff! Why don't we start off with the main course instead?!"

As Cy-Bowser approached the rainbow bridge to Waffle Cone Mountain, he paused, took a deep breath, and spewed fire all along its base. The entire bottom half of the bridge soon became enshrouded in flames.

"Farewell, losers!" he taunted his adversaries. "And don't forget to tip your waitresses! GWAHAHAAA!"

Mario was helpless to watch as Cy-Bowser began his ascent up the mountain.

"He's-a getting away!" Mario called out.

"And he's set fire to the bridge!" Vanellope answered him. "We'll never catch him now!"

Something blue caught Mario's eye in the distance to his left. "Or maybe we will…" he thought as he steered the Ice Screamer in its direction. Sure enough, there it was- a glide panel. "Vanellope! Follow me!" he called out.

"Mario! Whaddaya doing?!" she yelled after him.

"Just-a showing off a little trick-a I learned in _Mario Kart 7_!" Mario yelled back.

"This isn't time for tricks, Mario! A quick set of wheels won't help us now!"

"Wheels?" said Mario. "Where we're going, we don't-a need wheels!"

On that word, Mario drove over the glide panel. "Weehee!" he screamed giddily as his kart sprouted a glider and shot into the air.

"Whoa…" said Vanellope, before driving over the panel herself. Instantly, her kart did the same. "Whooooooaaaaaa!"

Mario kept his eyes trained on Cy-Bowser. _If we hurry_, he thought, _we can still catch him in time_. However, his train of thought was derailed by the sight of Vanellope shooting past him in a flash of blue.

"What-a was that?!" he called after her.

Vanellope smirked. "Just showing off a little trick I learned in _Sugar Rush_!"

Mario smiled. "You just glitched, didn't you?"

"Now you're catchin' on!" she shouted. "Try it! It's fun!"

Landing on the bridge, Mario and Vanellope began to glitch their way up to the top of the mountain and to Cy-Bowser, with Ralph, Luigi, and the other heroes in hot pursuit.

…

_Did those idiots really think they had a chance against ME?!_ Cy-Bowser thought to himself as he finally reached the entrance to Game Central Station. Looking down over the ruined wasteland that was once _Sugar Rush_, he couldn't even see the heroes over the flames he had created at the mountain's base.

Cy-Bowser turned to face the portal. "This is it, Princess," he told Peach. "The new age of Bowser begins now!"

Or so he thought- as he took one step towards the portal, a flash of blue surrounded it. Cy-Bowser took a second step- and was instantly struck with the awkward sensation of hitting a wall.

"What the heck?!"

Again, he took a step forward, but found himself going nowhere. This time, he took a step back, and charged with all his might towards the entrance. Try as he might, the game was not letting him pass. He was indeed walking into a wall.

"GAAAAH! The stupid game won't let me out! Why I oughta- OUCH!"

A Koopa Shell flew from out of nowhere and hit him full in the face.

"Looks like you just figured out the downside of having the glitch!" Vanellope called out to him as she whizzed by his head. "Glitches can't travel between games!"

"Now, back to settling our business!" yelled Ralph, as he withdrew a Bob-omb and chucked it at Cy-Bowser's feet. He froze, terrified, as the bomb exploded and sent him flying face-first into the wall. He collapsed, dazed, and his hand became limp. Peach chose this time to attempt to escape, freeing herself from the unconscious Cy-Bowser's hand.

"Peach!" Mario called to her. "Quick! Get back to Game Central! HURRY!"

Peach did as she was told- just in time for Cy-Bowser to reanimate. In desperation, he lunged at her, but he was too late. Once more, the barrier to Game Central closed off before him, with Peach on the other side. In a fit of deranged fury, he began to beat his huge fists, clawing, kicking- doing whatever he possibly could to break through the wretched barrier. It was no use. Peach had escaped him for good.

"And for the record, that's _President _Vanellope to you!" the racer taunted him.

"Bowser! It's time to finish this!" shouted Ralph.

Recognizing Ralph's voice, Cy-Bowser shot him an evil look of blind rage.

"Well done, Ralph!" roared Cy-Bowser. "True to form, you just _wrecked_ my castle, my game, and now my master plan! But your wrecking days are about to come to an end!"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Rosalina! LOOK OUT!"

Rosalina heeded Mario's advice only too late. With a single swipe from his powerful claws, Cy-Bowser swatted at her saucer as it whizzed over his head.

"NO!" Vanellope yelled as the saucer and its six passengers were sent spiraling towards the ground. She leapt out of her kart moments before Cy-Bowser could take a swipe at it, and plummeted in the saucer's direction.

"No! Vanellope!" Mario screamed after her, but now she too was gone. Landing the Ice Screamer on the bridge, he started after the other heroes, but found himself instantly caught by the scruff of the neck.

Cy-Bowser held his prisoner up to his face, and looked him squarely in his giant eyes. "Your ignorant resistance is pointless, Mario!" he snarled. "You're about to learn what happens to fools like you in MY arcade!"

Sprouting his wings once again, Cy-Bowser took to the sky with Mario in hand, struggling to escape. Mario scanned the ground for signs of the others, but he couldn't spot them. _What had happened?_

"Heh heh heh… that looks like a perfect place to finish you off!" Cy-Bowser chuckled. Instantly, Mario found himself being dropped. He fell for what seemed like ages, and then landed on his back on a large pile of stones.

Picking himself up, Mario took in his surroundings. He appeared to be on the top of a tall structure. A really tall one…he couldn't see the rest of _Sugar Rush_ from up here; couldn't even see Cy-Bowser. All he could see were the stones that lay scattered throughout the area. Wait… those stones simply looked too uniform to be _scattered_…

Something was off. These were no ordinary stones. They had a pleasant, lemony smell to them. Inquisitively, Mario took a bite out of one, and his suspicions were confirmed. _These aren't rocks_, he realized. _They're Mentos_. Then his ears registered a volcanic rumble from under his feet, and the whole thing hit him. He was standing at the top of Diet Cola Mountain, Vanellope's former home.

Instantly he realized exactly how he was going to defeat Cy-Bowser. Once again, he was about to lay his own life on the line. It was the only way, he realized, to stop him…

Just then, with a mighty roar, Cy-Bowser flew in to greet him. At long last, he was once and for all about to silence his nemesis.

"You and your friends are dead," he growled. "GAME OVER!"

Mario smiled.

"You know what-a, Bowser? You're right. It _IS _Game Over!"

Cy-Bowser shot him a cockeyed look. He wasn't sure exactly what kind of game Mario was playing.

"Game Over…" Mario repeated. "…For BOTH of us! Together!"

The message sunk in. This time, Cy-Bowser realized, _he _was the one who had stepped in the trap. With no other choice but to fight, he began to charge his attack.

Mario, with the power Vanellope had given him, rushed his corrupted arch-nemesis. For a moment, time seemed to freeze as the ultimate forces of good and evil collided.

…

Having saved the other heroes using her glitch, Vanellope was now running fast to keep up with them as the group made a mad dash for Diet Cola Mountain.

"Guys, wait up!" she yelled. "For once in my life, it's _not_ a race!"

"We don't have much time!" replied Ralph. "We have to warn him what happens if he triggers that eruption!"

Calhoun, who had been well ahead of the group, stopped dead in her tracks.

"Bad news for you, chief!" she replied back to Ralph. "It looks like he's about to figure it out!"

With looks of shock and terror, everyone peered up at the top of the mountain. A large explosion had occurred, obscuring Mario and Cy-Bowser and sending fragments of Mentos flying in all directions. The heroes just stared, and a long silence ensued- only to be broken by sudden, violent rumbles from within the mountain.

"Oh dear," Felix murmured.

With the force of a bomb, the eruption began. The dust from the explosion had finally settled, only to be replaced by a massive pillar of hot diet cola. Caught in the midst of the pillar, with a wide-eyed look of agony about him, was Cy-Bowser, who frantically struggled to escape the deadly soda, knowing full well he was failing.

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_" he roared, as the final surge of the eruption blasted him backwards into the mountain's volcanic core. Defeated, unconscious, and sapped of his Cy-bug powers, Bowser plummeted to the bottom, finally hitting it with a resounding thud.

With a sickening sizzle, the jet of volcanic cola gave way to a massive cloud of smoke. The eruption was over. Bowser was finished. But… where was…

"MARIOOOOO!" Luigi yelled at the mountaintop. An uneasy silence followed. Luigi's brother was nowhere to be seen.

Silently, it set in. Mario had to have sacrificed himself once again.

"He's… he's gone...!" said Felix, more astonished at his courage to utter the words than at the truth they conveyed.

Peach, who had rejoined the heroes in their pursuit of Mario, concealed her face in her hands and quietly began to sob, leaning against Rosalina for support. Candlehead sank to her knees and proceeded to wail hysterically. Even Felix and Luigi found themselves weeping- Felix for the friend he had known since the arcade's earliest days, and Luigi for the brother who, up until now, had never left his side.

Luigi, grief-stricken, turned to Vanellope. Tears were in his eyes. "All these years and I can't-a believe he's gone…"

"Aw, come on, guys!" said Vanellope. "Why's everybody so sad all of a sudden? Cheer up! Can't you see? He's not _gone_!"

"Vanellope," interjected Ralph, "Listen, kid, this is hard to explain, I know, but there are some things you just have to-"

"No really!" Vanellope cut him off. "He's NOT gone! Look! LOOK!"

Everyone did so- and in effect, the smoke cleared from the mountain, revealing the brave hero of the Mushroom Kingdom standing triumphantly atop its summit.

"Did you all-a miss me?" he called cheerfully. In unison, his onlookers responded with cries of "He's alive! He's alive!", followed by cheers and cries of impassioned joy.

It was the usual routine- with the final boss defeated, the victory fanfare was played, fireworks were sent high into the sky, and Mario's signature hat flip was given. Yet on that day, those who saw it say he punctuated it with the mightiest "YAHOO!" of his life.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Mario had received praise for saving the Mushroom Kingdom countless times before, but that was nothing compared to the warm welcome he attained for saving the arcade in its entirety. Flanked by Peach, Toad and his seven companions, Mario found himself being practically carried back to the portal to Game Central Station.

Vanellope pulled up next to him in her Candy Kart. "Thanks, Mario," she said with utmost compassion. "You really are a hero after all."

"Thanks, Vanellope," Mario said sadly, with the knowing that he would never come back. It was time to go home.

However, there was one final task that had to be accomplished. Climbing aboard her saucer, Rosalina and Peach flew to the top of Waffle Cone Mountain. With the Power of the Stars combined with Peach's Wish Power, Rosalina cast a massive sphere of cosmic energy into the skies over _Sugar Rush_. As the sphere exploded, it rained Star Power down upon the game, eradicating Bowser's black magic and restoring the game to its former glory.

With the influence of Bowser gone and the train to Game Central repaired, the inhabitants of _Sugar Rush_ returned to embrace its savior. Once again, Mario found himself surrounded by his numerous devotees.

"Hey, the game's back to normal!" said Rancis. "Nice going, Mario!"

"You did it!" exclaimed Jubileena.

"MARIO!" Amidst the hubbub, Luigi's voice had found Mario's ears. "We gotta head back, bro! The arcade's-a gonna open in five minutes!"

"He's right, Mario," said Felix. "We'd better move out."

With a look of sadness, Mario's eyes found the new friends he had come to know on his journey. "Y-you're not-a coming with me?"

"'Fraid not," said Ralph. "Saturday morning at the arcade… lots of quarters thrown our way… you know how it is."

"Same here," agreed Calhoun. "I have my own game to run over in _Hero's Duty_. But I don't pretend that I didn't have a blast in my time with this one." She smiled. "You did good, civilian."

"Mario! I'LL COME WITH YOU!" Candlehead screeched desperately.

"Er, you better stay _here_," Vanellope said quickly, elbowing her aside. "Besides, you won the daily roster race, didn't you?"

"Well… I _guess_ I did…" Candlehead replied glumly.

Vanellope turned to face Mario one last time. "You don't have to leave, you know," she told him. "You could stay here and live in the castle, and race with us, and help to protect me."

Mario laughed. "Protect you?! I don't-a think the most-a powerful glitch in the arcade needs-a much protection. Besides, I've-a got my own princess to protect," he said, gesticulating towards Peach. "I'm sorry, Vanellope, but I have-a to go home."

"Will I ever see you again?" Vanellope asked sadly.

Mario thought to himself for a moment. "Well," he said after a long while, "There's a _Mario Kart _race at the Castle on Tuesday, if you and-a your friends wanna come. You all know where to find us!"

Vanellope leapt up and planted a kiss on Mario's cheek. "Thanks, Mario," she said again. "See you then!"

"And I'll see you too!" said Mario, removing his hat and bowing. "But you won't-a see me! Not when I'll be _miles_ ahead of you!"

"Really!" she taunted him. "I hope you like dust, chumbo, 'cause you're gonna be eating a _lot_ of mine on Tuesday! Just you wait!"

"Oh yeah? Well I-"

"Mario! Let's-a get going!" Luigi called out to him.

"Bye-bye!" Mario bade farewell the world of _Sugar Rush _as he, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Rosalina, Ralph, Felix, and Calhoun hopped aboard the 7:55 to Game Central Station.

…

A short ways away from the Mushroom Castle, two figures could be discerned against the bright blue sky- one riding a broomstick, and the other dangling by the end of it in desperation. As the pair flew overhead the Mushroom Plains, they spotted a lone figure trudging his way towards the Koopa Kingdom with his spiked back to them.

"Is that…?" Kamek asked his companion. "Could it be…?"

"Stomp my head if that's not King Bowser!" answered Boom Boom.

Kamek flew in low across the grassy plains of _Mario Bros_., where indeed his king was attempting to make his way home.

"King Bowser, sir! You're alive!" exclaimed Kamek. "How'd you get out of that…?"

"Long story," Bowser grunted. "Now, move over already! I need a ride back."

"Sure thing, sir!" affirmed Boom Boom. "Hey, listen to this! While we were in that other game, I came up with my OWN evil plan! Apparently, one of the racers there- the one with red hair- she's got an unlimited supply of cherries! If we kidnapped her, stole all her cherries and used 'em to get unlimited Super Stars- y'know, like in _Super Mario Bros. 2_- we'd be unbeatable! Sounds like a great plan, eh, sir? Sir…?"

With a defeated look in his red eyes, Bowser flung an agitated glance at Boom Boom. "Please," he grumbled, as the three of them flew into the sunset. "From now on, do me a favor, and just call me 'Boss'…"

…

Bowser may have been defeated, but that Tuesday a new battle was beginning to unfold- high above his kingdom. The finals of that week's _Mario Kart _Nitro Cup Tour were kicking off with Rosalina's home circuit- the notoriously challenging Rainbow Road.

This was no ordinary race, either- for the first time, the sweet racers of Sugar Rush joined the familiar roster of Mario Kart. Countless denizens of both games gathered together to watch what would surely be remembered as the race to end them all.

Among the many present was Ralph. "Go get 'em, 'Nelly!" he yelled.

"Teach 'em what's for, Mario!" called out Felix.

Hopping into his kart behind the starting line, Luigi asked the racer on his right, "Hey, what-a happened to my Star Coin? I never got it back…"

"Oh yeah! We forgot," replied Candlehead. "We'll have to do that on our way out."

Vanellope turned to her new best friend. "You ready for this?" she asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Mario answered her. "LET'S-A GO!"

And on his last word, an epic race- and an everlasting friendship- had begun.

3

3 


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